Solutions that don’t break the bank, reinvent the wheel or marginalize our teachers are within our grasp. We could have rigorous classes, safe and disciplined schools and treat teachers like valued colleagues rather than easily replaceable cogs, and we could do so tomorrow if we wanted. Disclaimer, this is an opinion and commentary site and should not be confused as a news site. Also know that quite often people may disagree with the opinions posted.

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Wednesday, June 20, 2012

Why does the Duval County School Board hate Ed White High School?

In the past 5 years Ed White will have seen four different principals and I kid you not over a hundred faculty members have come and gone including several teacher’s of the year and national board certified educators. Yes it’s true some have retired and voluntarily transferred but more than a few have been forced out.

During this time their grade has vacillated between D and F. Student discipline and teacher morale have also been big problems.

Ed Whites next principal will be Christopher Jackson and he come from Jackson high school where he was the right hand man of Iranetta Wright. Jackson has been in the news a lot recently because the state of Florida ranked it as the worst high school in the state. How spending time there qualifies him to take over Ed White is beyond me and this is made even more troubling when you consider Brenda Jordan, vice principal at Ed White and long time administrator at Sandalwood is being moved to Stillwell. Furthermore their last principal was popular with the staff and they felt Education directions hamstrung him and left him out to dry, Ed Directions is also the group that also forced out Young at Ribault.

Mrs. Jordan has a reputation of being tough but fair, Mr. Jackson has an altogether different reputation.

Ed White not that long ago was a high school with a good reputation and had a lot of nice things going on. There is still a good core group of teachers and a lot of great kids but it is just to bad the district has saw fit to run the school into the ground.

1 comment:

Why rely on a standardized test to 'try' to do the job of a teacher. When did a respected, certified, and competent teacher's opinion cease to matter? The teacher should be the deciding factor whether or not a student passes and moves on to the next grade? Give teachers the tools, resources, and respect to teach how they see fit. Forty or fifty years ago the U.S. lead most of the world in education without an FCAT 1.0 or 2.0? Today the major difference is respect. Respect for the teacher and their profession. Students do not respect their parents or themselves. So why would they respect their teacher?Respect for authority and for hard work. Children expect any and everything handed to them as soon as they decide they want it. Why take the time to learn while at school? Why go to school? Children believe their parents will give everything to them. Alternatively if what children want isn't readily handed to them, they'll just take it from someone else; that's what they're shown in movies, television, etc...Discipline compared to forty years ago to present day is another major difference. Beginning with the student's own self-discipline, to the now forbidden; but well needed discipline of parent to child and teacher to student. These are the differences between now and the height and hey day of U.S. education system. Standardized tests are a waste of every one's time and a waste of tax payer's money.Teachers are forced to spend most of their time turning student's into 'standardized' drones capable of (hopefully) passing a 'standardized' test. What happened to the U.S. education system? Ask the 'TEACHERS' and not a bozo expert who's (probably) never taught a day in their life. An 'expert' paid for with your tax dollars who decides a 'standardized' test is the solution. This leading to an entire group of 'experts' who develop the test; funded with more tax dollars. A 'standardized' test that requires test preparation, test administration, test scoring, and score tabulation; all wasting even MORE tax dollars. All this time and money is wasted so more 'experts' can give out school/teacher praises or condemnation all based on the 'standardized' test results. Resulting in a yearly game of teacher roulette; moving, hiring, firing teachers yearly based on a relatively useless tool. Cut out the FCAT and use the wasted time and money on the tools that really matter; the teachers.